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Once upon a time there was a city mouse who dreamed her whole life of living on a farm. So one day she packed up her things and moved out to the country. There was so much to learn and life was so different!

Eggciting things are happening

Spring is showing itself in the multitude of robins that are hopping all over the yard, looking for worms to snack on. The sun is coming out more, and here and there is a day that feels wonderfully temperate.

Who knew chickens could be so much fun! Jessie the chicken has now been spending a little time outdoors pecking and scratching like a happy little chicken. Every day, she graces us with an egg. Once the other 4 hens come to join her, that's going to be a lot of eggs! So we will be selling some of the extras and the earnings will go into an 'egg fund' that will help defer some of the costs of feed and bedding. But, oh how lovely it is to crack open a fresh egg with it's deep golden yolk floating in the middle like an autumn sun.

Hubby has left a long career in the automotive industry to start a new career in beekeeping. Talk about making a career change! He's learning a lot about bees and beekeeping and who knows, that might be the next thing to add to this little acreage. For now he is working for a large operation that not only produces honey, but helps pollinate the blueberry fields in summer. Bees are a hot topic in the media these days so it's interesting to become a part of things and learn enough to successfully run a couple of our own hives one day. When that day comes, we'll have our own fresh honey right alongside our own fresh eggs.

In the meantime we are working out new plans for the vegetable garden this year. With the mild winter we had the bugs will no doubt be even worse than they were last year. So we are going to try building a couple of raised beds close to the house where we can better create a bug-free zone with our various methods of spraying garlic juice and running a large bug zapper. Hopefully then, I will be able to spend more time on the garden weeding and cultivating comfortably. Then maybe this year we'll finally have a harvest worthing of preserving for the winter.

My own challenge was to see if I could give up social media. Facebook is a strange double sided devil. On the one hand, it's a great way to connect with lost friends and keep in touch with people you know. But it has a dark side that slowly shows itself once you've been on it for awhile. It can suck you in like quicksand and cause you to waste half a day doing nothing. With so many people using it as a vehicle for advocacy, it's impossible to avoid the numerous posts of abuse in both humans and animals. Often with vivid pictures that once seen, can not be unseen. You begin to see posts that show sides of people you thought you knew as debates ensue on various contentious topics. In the end, the wonderful and uplifting posts are sometimes overshadowed by posts that can leave you depressed and cynical. And so, like a sugar addict giving up cupcakes, with shaking resolve I gave it up. It isn't easy after being so virtually connected to people, to suddenly be disconnected and not know every minute of the day what everyone else is doing. However being disconnected in the virtual world has forced me into a more real connection. More phone calls, chats and emails. And maybe this is a good thing! It's so easy to become lost in virtual reality and forget that there is a real world out there. A world where a hug is two arms around you and not some squiggly brackets surrounding the word hug. A world where you can hear in a person's voice that they are feeling blue even though they are smiling and saying everything is alright. A world where my attention is more often on my home, my land, my family and my animals, instead of constantly on my screen. What better way to celebrate spring and coming out of winter's hibernation mode.And finally, a little story of luck. Keiko and Poncho love to go out in the catio, especially when it's dark. When it's cold I let them out and close the window behind them so I don't let all the cold air into the house. On this particular night, during a late dinner we suddenly hear a squealing sound. Keiko runs for the window and I follow behind thinking perhaps there's a mouse loose in the house. Through the window I see a silhouette of something standing on hind legs scratching at the glass to be let in. My first thought is that Poncho would like to come in and just as I have my hand on the window ready to open, it occurs to me that, in fact, he's already inside. I look closer and the would-be visitor turns and jumps down from the window ledge to run around the catio and that's when I spot it. The bright streak of white down his back! Whoa! Dodged a bullet there! I'm still not sure how the skunk got into the catio or why he was scratching at the window to be let in. Perhaps he had seen our black and white cats doing it, identified with them, and assumed he'd be allowed in to enjoy some luxury accommodations. Phew! Good thing I didn't let him in. It could have been a smelly situation and me without a single can of tomato juice in the house.

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My husband and I decided to leave the rat race and lifestyle of rampant consumerism behind. We went in search of a hobby farm where we could hopefully one day be mortgage free, growing our own food and living a simple, sustainable and healthier life.
Since both of us were born and raised in the city, this was a major change for us and presented us with a very large learning curve. Living in the country is very different from city living and we have a lot to learn. We made a few mistakes and will likely make some more as we go along. But there is joy and peace in living close to the land, and living a simpler life.